The national soccer team in an Asian first has qualified for its 11th straight FIFA World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Iraq on June 6. (Korea Football Association)

By Jeon Misun

The national soccer team in an Asian first has qualified for its 11th straight FIFA World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Iraq on June 6.

At Basra International Stadium in Basra, Iraq, the Taegeuk Warriors made history by continuing a streak that started with the 1986 tournament in Mexico.

Korea is just one of six countries to qualify for 11 or more consecutive World Cups, following Brazil (22 straight), Germany (18), Italy and Argentina (14), and Spain (12), as well as the first in Asia to do so.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino on June 7 sent a congratulatory letter to Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu on the milestone. Infantino also praised Korea on his Instagram account, saying, "An 11th straight participation is a record for nations outside Europe and South America and a truly impressive achievement."

The Taegeuk Warriors won their ninth game in Group B of the third round of Asian qualifiers to secure first place. They will host their final qualifier on June 10 against Kuwait at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul's Mapo-gu District.

Meanwhile, badminton superstar An Se Young on June 8 claimed her fifth win of the season at the Indonesia Open.

The world's top-ranked female player won a close match, 2-1, over No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of China in the final of the tournament, a World Tour Super 1000 event of the Badminton World Federation, at Gelora Bung Karno Sports Palace in Jakarta.

Thus An has won five singles titles in the six tournaments she has played this year. She won the Malaysia Open, India Open, Orleans Masters and All England Open in succession, but her streak was snapped by China's Chen Yufei last month in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open.

msjeon22@korea.kr